Adobe Flash may as well go back to bed, this isn't their month. Amazon announced this week that beginning in September, Flash ads will no longer be accepted on Amazon.com or on the Amazon Advertising Platform.
This change comes as a reaction to the recent Flash inhibiting updates from browser makers. Chrome debuted a feature that automatically pauses non-essential Flash content, so mostly ads. Apple, a staunch critic of Flash, doesn't allow Flash content to run on the iPhone and iPad - and if Safari users must employ Flash, first they have to download plugins. Also, back in June, Firefox maker Mozilla blocked Flash content altogether, albeit temporarily, after a security scare. Even Facebook's chief security officer says the platform is dying.
Next in line is Amazon. "This change ensures customers continue to have a positive, consistent experience across Amazon and its affiliates, and that ads displayed across the site function properly for optimal performance," the company said in a statement.
Pouring fuel on this anti-Flash fire is the Yahoo "malvertising" episode backin July, which exploited a weak spot in Flash to hijack the computers of Yahoo users. Errors and mistakes occur, but Flash is creating more critics than fans and they say consistent security issues are just one of many reasons to not use the platform.
Amazon's decision to sever ties with Flash isn't an absolute death sentence, but it is a sign that some decision makers in the ad industry are ready to be done with the platform for good.